August 28, 2016 was the 2016 One World Day event presented by Councilman Kevin Conwell and County Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell in partnership with Universities Circles Inc. and others!

We hope you were one of the 24,000 people who visited the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on One World Day on Sunday, August 28 2016. It was an inspiring day as people got a chance to visit all of the gardens and experience their culture and diversity.

We are honored to welcome our Centennial Sponsors!

Thank you City of Cleveland and Mayor Frank Jackson for your support and this proclamation:

Thank you for these endorsements!

The Federation

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation is the representative organization of the Cultural Gardens set to provide a direct link between the Cultural Gardens and the individual ethnic communities they represent. The Federation has been instrumental in preservation and development of the Gardens, as well as maintaining public awareness and interest in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

The Federation is involved with most aspects of this unique park, however the Cultural Gardens are a City of Cleveland park and arrangements for use of any of the Gardens for events such as weddings or other celebrations must be made through City of Cleveland, Office of Special Events 216-664-2484.

The Gardens

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are located along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and the adjacent East Blvd. from St. Clair Avenue to the south in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. This string of 26 nationality gardens is unique to Cleveland, Ohio and for that matter unique to this Country and the World. Various nationalities that call Cleveland home have collaborated in development of their respective garden to memorialize and share with the World their culture and history. Thus, this unique park is a great educational tool, as well as a great place to relax, enjoy nature in the midst of a city, walk or ride a bike, see statues of significant personalities or depictions of far away lands. Addition of new gardens is anticipated in the near future as plans are being currently developed.

The CCGF was founded in 1925 as the Civic Progress League by LEO WEIDENTHAL†, who, during the dedication of the Shakespeare Garden in ROCKEFELLER PARK in 1916, felt that similar sites should be prepared for each of the city’s nationality communities. In 1926 the organization became the Cultural Garden League, and a Hebrew garden was established. On 9 May 1927 the city set aside areas of Rockefeller Park for future gardens. The Italian, German, Lithuanian, Slovak, and Ukrainian gardens were established in 1930; the Polish, Hungarian, Czech, and Yugoslav gardens in 1934; and the American, Rusin, Irish, Greek, and Syrian gardens in 1938. Romanian, Estonian, Afro-American, Chinese, Finnish, and Indian gardens have since been created. Planning and fundraising for each garden was undertaken within the various ethnic communities, while the Cleveland Cultural Garden Fed. (the name adopted in 1952) oversaw overall planning and coordinated various joint programs, including the 2nd UNESCO Conference (1949) and the annual One World Day (begun in 1945). During the 1960s and 1970s, many gardens suffered vandalism and statuary was removed for safekeeping. In 1985-86 a major restructuring of the area was undertaken and plans discussed for rehabilitating the gardens by the federation, including 40 members from the affiliated nationalities. In the 1990s, the federation’s bylaws were rewritten so that each member group had 2 members and an alternate member on the Federation Board. Richard J. Konisiewicz served as president of the federation, which maintained 25 sites in 1995 and growing.